7 Plus Exam Guide for Parents: What Schools Assess and How to Prepare

Reading aloud, comprehension, vocabulary, meaning, spelling, punctuation or grammar.

Fluency, understanding, expression and how naturally a child discusses a text.

The balance between reading, comprehension and language questions varies by school.

A short creative task, story continuation, diary-style writing or another age-appropriate writing task.

Ideas, vocabulary, organisation and accurate written expression.

Not every school uses a separate writing task or the same type of writing activity.

Number facts, place value, the four operations, problem solving, shape, measurement or simple fractions.

Secure foundations, mathematical reasoning and the ability to apply knowledge in context.

Published expectations should be read against the child’s current year group and the school’s own guidance.

Word, language, sequence or logic questions in an unfamiliar format.

How a child identifies patterns and applies language-based thinking.

Some schools use it and some do not. Familiarity may help confidence, but extensive drilling is not supported by the cited guidance.

Shape, pattern, sequence or spatial questions.

Visual reasoning and the ability to identify relationships without relying mainly on words.

Question style, timing and whether the section appears at all are school-specific.

Multiple-choice or adaptive tasks completed on a computer, sometimes alongside written work.

Current attainment and reasoning across a range of questions.

Dulwich currently provides guided familiarisation and practice questions on the day; other schools may use different technology or support.

Conversation about interests, reading aloud, discussion, maths or short literacy and numeracy tasks.

Communication, genuine interests, confidence and response to an unfamiliar adult.

It may happen only after a first assessment stage and should not be assumed at every school.

Collaborative tasks, a short classroom-style session, play, discussion or practical activities.

Listening, collaboration, enthusiasm, confidence and how a child settles into a group.

These are examples from named schools, not a national scoring framework.

A confidential report requested from the child’s present school.

Learning habits, progress and wider context beyond one assessment day.

Whether a report is requested, when it is requested and how it is used differ by school.

The school publishes a birth-date window for the intended Year 3 intake.

Your child’s exact eligibility for that admissions cycle; do not rely only on the label 7 Plus.

Open days, small-group visits or information evenings may take place before assessment.

School ethos, daily experience, pastoral approach, later progression and whether the environment suits your child.

An online form, registration fee and supporting information may be required well before entry.

Opening and closing dates, fees, required documents and any early deadline for support needs.

Written or digital English, maths and reasoning tasks, often in small groups with breaks.

Subjects, format, duration, equipment, sample material and what the school says about preparation.

Selected candidates may return for an interview, one-to-one work, classroom activities or group tasks.

Who is invited, what the session involves and whether a current-school report contributes to the decision.

The school sends an outcome, may invite offer holders back and sets an acceptance deadline and deposit.

Outcome date, waiting-list process, acceptance deadline, deposit and any conditions attached to the offer.

A child may progress automatically within a through-school or face another assessment later.

What Year 3 entry leads to and whether entry to a senior school is automatic, conditional or separately assessed.

Bursaries and scholarships may be unavailable, limited or offered only at later entry points.

The school’s current junior-entry policy, application deadline and eligibility conditions.

Help the child understand the school’s published format and strengthen normal reading or maths foundations.

Treat every activity as a way to maximise performance, regardless of the child’s current learning or wellbeing.

Works mainly within the child’s current year group and addresses a clearly identified gap.

Pushes substantially beyond current learning because harder work is assumed to be automatically better.

Briefly introduces unfamiliar instructions and question types, then moves on.

Repeats large numbers of near-identical questions long after the format is familiar.

Encourages the child to speak naturally about books, interests, school and what they enjoy learning.

Scripts polished answers that no longer sound like the child or leave them worried about saying the wrong thing.

Short, manageable practice still leaves room for play, rest, schoolwork and positive family time.

Preparation becomes the main feature of home life or repeatedly damages confidence and enjoyment.

Stops or reduces once the child understands the format or the support is no longer adding value.

Continues because more practice is assumed to be safer, even when learning has become repetitive or tense.